Fly swatter



Patented Dec. 29, 1936 UNITED stares GFFICE Claims.

This invention relates to, instruments for killing insects by impact and commonly known as ily swatters. Usually such devices comprise a flexible paddle-like striking member carried by 5 along handle, the latter often having a widened frame portion at one end to facilitate attachment of the exible striker member.

The desirability of reticulate or otherwise perforate material as the striking element of such an instrument has long been recognized, the

openings in such material permitting free escape of air so that the insect is not warned of the impending blow or ejected from beneath the oncoming striker by air compressed in its advance,

nor is the insect crushed so completely by a blow from such reticulate material as from that delivered by an imperforate striker. By reason of its cheapness and ready availability, metallic fly-screen wire fabric has commonly been employed for this purpose. However, while such woven metallic screen fabric has certain advantages, for example, strength, resiliency, lightness, cheapness, etc., it is objectionable for this purpose by reason of its tendency to scar or otherwise deface finely nished woodwork, and

when, through long continued use some of its constituent strands break or are freed at their ends from the usual binding, the exposed sharp wire ends not only add to the danger of injury .10 by scratching, but also tend to catch in draperies, curtains, and the like and t0 tear or otherwise injure the latter.

To avoid the defects in the wire striker, it has been proposed to form the striker from reticulate fabric of non-metallic material, for example, a fabric woven from strands of regenerated cellulose, but while such material is advantageous in respect to its freedom from tendency to scar ror deface finished surfaces, it has the dis- ,40 advantage that if made strong enough to give long service, it must be made unduly heavy, and lacks the snap and resiliency desirable for most effective use.

In accordance with the present invention (this application being a continuation-in-part of my copending application Serial No. 599,398 for Textile panel, led March 17, 1932), I combine the vadvantages of a reticular fabric formed from strands of regenerated cellulose or the like (that is to say, the non-abrasive character of such fabric, its cleanliness, its resistance to corrosion when exposed to moisture, its capability of being washed and its capability of decorative effect), with the advantages inherent in metallic wire 55 fabric, such as the great strength of the latter relative to its weight, and. its snap or'resiliency.

In accordance with this invention, these com.- bined advantages are obtained without adding unduly to the cost of the material from which the striker is made, and without necessitating 5 the employment of unusual or special machinery in its production. To this end the `invention contemplates the use of special composite yarns at predetermined parts of or constituting all of the reticular fabric from which the striker is g1() made, such special yarns each preferably consisting of a core of metallic wire of small diameter and which is readily flexible but preferably somewhat resilient, such wire being covered, by spinning, wrapping or twisting over it ,15 a strand or strands of the selected sheet material, oneV such material which is highly desirable being regenerated cellulose in the form commonly known to the trade as cellophane.

These special cored yarns may take the place 20 of some or all of the usual warps and/or wefts, or such fractional part of either set of yarns as seems necessary to impart the desired qualities to the fabric. For example, it usually suffices to employ from eight to twelve of these cored 25 yarns as warps, forming what may be termed for convenience, a stripe running longitudinally of the completed striker, the latter being cut from the woven fabric in such a way that this stripe is substantially midway the width of the striker. The remainder of the fabric may be made of strands of other type, for example, strands of twisted sheet cellulose alone.

While a single such stripe, comprising Vthe special yarns may be provided as just suggested, it is contemplated that several stripes, each preferably of variable width and spaced laterally from one another, may be employed, each stripe constituting, in eiTect, a very elastic leaf spring, and tending to hold the striker iiat but to impart the desired snap essential to a good fly swatter. On the other hand, the swatter may have stripes of these special cored yarns running crosswise instead of longitudinally, or in both directions if desired, or these stripes may be arranged so substantially to dene the selvages of the striker,l thus coniining the extra resiliency to the margins of the device. Obviously, if desired, all of the constituent yarns which form the striker may be made with wire cores of the type above referred to.

While I have here referred to sheeted regenerated cellulose or cellophane as the material for covering the cores, it is to be understood that equivalent material similarly moisture-resistant and non-metallic may be substituted'for such regenerated cellulose, although I believe the latter to be preferable.

In the accompanying drawing, wherein certain desirable embodiments of the invention have been illustrated by way of example,

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary front elevation showing a fiy sWatter of a desirable construction having its striker portion formed from the improved fabric hereinafter specifically described;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary plan view, to larger scale, illustrating the construction of a reticular fabric having all of its warps and wefts provided with wire cores, in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary plan view showing the upper left-hand portion of the striker of 'a fly swatter illustrating fabric having stripes formed from cored strands running both horizontally and vertically; Y, Y

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 but showing such cored'strands as vrunning transversely only; and,

Figs. *55a and 5*?Vare views in cross section illustrating various useful forms of border or frame for the swatter, in accordance with Vthe present invention. A Y

Referring toFig. 1 of the drawing-the numeral I designates the striker portion of my improved fly swatter, such striker portion comprising a piece 2 of reticular woven fabric and having a border or frame portion 3k preferably constructed as hereinafter more fully described. The striker member Vis carried by a handle comprising a length. of wire 4 properly bent and shaped to form a frame or supporting loop or bight for engagement with the lower part of the striker, the

latter preferably being folded over at its lower corners Yto .cover and conceal Vthe frame portion of the handle to which the striker is attached as by sewing, staples or the like, the handle also comprising thegrip member 5 designed to b-e held inthe hand of the user.

Referring to Fig. 2, the fabric there illustrated comprises a set of warp strands 6 and a set of weft strands 1, the strands of both warp and wefteach consisting of a wire core 8 covered with one ormore layers kllof sheeted regenerated cellulose.Y For use in a flyswatter striker, I prefer to useV a core of the order of 0.018 `inch in diameter, preferablyafbasic steel, of approximatelyV 0.08 to 0.10 carbon, and galvanized, which is inherently fairly flexible but Whichv has suflicient Vresiliency to impart the desired snap to ,the completed striker. A drawnwireof the material and of the diameter above referred to; has been found suitable forthe purpose, although I 4contemplate that wire of somewhat different size and composiexample, .for weaving `paper strandsof substantiallythe sameY diameter, without necessitating substantial change in the setting of the loom.

While fabric such as that shown in Fig. 2, is

1 useful for the intendedpurpose, I have found that prise such yarns.

, trated in Fig. 2, a group of yarns located at I0 consists of such cored strands, in this case Warp strands running longitudinally of the fabric, While the remainder of the constituent strands,

Vor otherwise, as desired.

stronger than strands of cellulose alone, this cenn tral stripe substantially prevents disintegration of the striker throughout a long periodtof.` use, while at the same time this stripe acts much like a leaf spring to impart 'the desired quickness of action to the striker. At the same time, by rea-- son of the fact that the Wire cores are covered and protected by the moisture-resistant cellulosic material, there is no danger of their becoming corroded, or of coming into direct contact with finished surfaces which they might scratch or mar. Such astriker may be readily cleaned by the use of soap andwater, and thus may be kept in a sanitary condition throughout a long period of use. Y n

While the arrangement of strandsV shown 4in Fig. l is quite useful, it is contemplated that the cored strands may be arranged in other groupings, for example, as illustrated `in Fig. 3wherein the warps are arranged` in pairs, a pair of cored Warps alternating with a pair of uncored warps, as shown at II and I2 respectively. Likewise, in this instance thewefts are arranged in pairs, a pair of cored wefts I 3 intervening between two pairs of uncored'wefts I4, v

Again, as illustrated in Fig. 4, the coredstrands I5 may be arranged in groups alternating with uncored strands I6, whileall of the warp strands 35 Il are uncored. Any other suitable arrangement of the cored and uncored strands of the fabric may be employedas circumstances may indicate to be preferable.

Preferably the striker of the swatter is pro- Avided with a border or frame 3, as above noted,

in order to impart ka desired nish; to prevent the ends of the wire cores from being exposed;

and if necessary to impart added stiffness tothe margin of the striker.

y as to bind the` ends ofthe warps'and weftstogether to prevent raveling, or it may, as shown at Such a` protective border as illustrated in Fig. 5 may consist merely of a 8 in the same figure, consistlof a piece of tape* Y of suitable character applied to theedge of the striker` to form a binding and secured in place by stitches, staples, or by the useof `suitable adhesive Since` the outer surface of. each ofthe constituent strands of the striker is of an organic material, preferably regenerated cellulose, the striker has no tendency to injure nished surfaces with which it may contact. Furthermore, by the employment of such material it is possible to impart highly ornamental effects to the striker by coloring the .cellulosic material in pleasingshades. Thus, for example, the resilient stripe indicated at' I 0 in Fig. l, may consist of yarns whose coverings are of` one'color while the remainder of the strikermay consist of yarns of a contrasting color. Suchpossibility permits the appearance of a device of thiskind to be greatly enhanced compared to thatV of the usual wire striker, and since, as above noted, the device may so readily be kept clean and sanitary, the

swatter thus devised is far less objectionable as an accessory house furnishing than swatters of ordinary type.

I claim:

1. A ily swatter having a striker of woven open-mesh fabric including a set of warp yarns and a set of weft yarns, each of said yarns including twisted, sheeted, regenerated cellulose, certain at least of the yarns of one set each having a flexible metallic core of carbon steel of the order of 0.018 inch in diameter, an elongated handle and means uniting the striker to the handle, the cored strands extending longitudinally with reference to the length of the handle to impart resiliency to the striker.

2. A ily swatter having a flexible striker and an elongated handle secured to the striker, the striker comprising a piece of reticular textile fabric including interwoven warp and weft strands, certain of the warp strands at the central portion of the striker each having a flexible resilient metal core of the order of 0.018 inch in diameter covered with a sheath of thin sheeted regenerated cellulose, and other warp and weft strands each consisting of sheeted, twisted, regenerated cellulose alone, the cored strands extending longitudinally with reference to lthe length of the handle to impart resiliency to the striker.

3. A fiy swatter comprising a striker, an elongated handle and means uniting the striker to the handle, the striker being of easily flexible reticular fabric consisting of interwoven strands, those strands at least which extend longitudinally with reference to the length of the handle each comprising a core of flexible but resilient metallic wire to impart resiliency to the striker and each further comprising a glossy, water resistant covering of a cellulose derivative encasing the core Wire and providing a non-abrasive but washable surface, the striker as a whole being so flexible as to permit it readily to conform to a ends of the metallic cores.

surface with which it may be brought into contact in the act of striking a fly.

4. A fly swatter having a striker, an elongated handle and means uniting the striker to the handle, the striker comprising textile material Which is sufficiently flexible and yielding so as readily to conform substantially tc the surface contour of an object against which it may be struck, said striker consisting of a substantially square-mesh reticular fabric including sets of warp and weft strands, the strands of one set extending longitudinally with respect to the length of the handle, each set of strands consisting of strands each of which is formed of thinsheeted, regenerated cellulose in the form of a strip twisted and rolled upon itself to constitute a permanent cylindriform strand, each set of strands comprising certain strands each having a flexible resilient core of metal wire encased by the cellulosic material, said core wires being so flexible and resilient as to permit ready flexing of the striker When in use although supplementing the natural resiliency of the twisted cellulosic material.

5. A ily swatter having an easily flexible striker, an elongated handle and means uniting the striker to the handle, said striker comprising a reticular open-mesh fabric consisting of two sets of interwoven strands, each strand being twisted from a thin, flexible strip of sheeted regenerated cellulose, certain at least of said strands each having a resilient but readily flexible metal core, one set of strands including a greater number of cored strands than the other set, such greater number of cored strands extending longitudinally with respect to the length of the handle and rendering the striker predominantly resilient in one direction, the cored and uncored strands being of substantially the same external diameter, and a protective border constructed and arranged to prevent exposure of the HENRY W. BUHLER. 

